For years, the condition of Comino has come under the spotlight for its crowdedness, lack of cleanliness and disregard for its status as a protected Natura2000 site – a subject that forms the crux of a new exhibition, opening on Friday 15th March at Valletta Contemporary, titled Comino will be Different Next Summer.
The collective exhibition, curated by Maria Eileen Fsadni, brings together the works of photographers Joanna Demarco, Lisa Attard and Inigo Taylor, as well as multidisciplinary artist Sheldon Saliba and architect and conceptual artist Mario Asef, who use their disciplines to shed light on the issues affecting Comino, complemented by an excerpt of text written by Daphne Caruana Galizia.
The text, which was written in 2005 for an article in Flair magazine, “pinpoints the moment that businesses were given a stronghold over Comino when the island’s early 20th-century history, as a close-knit farming community, was radically disrupted with the arrival of the hotel in the 1960s. This historical context underscores the ongoing repercussions of past decisions.”
In her curatorial description of the project, Maria highlights how “Comino’s fate hangs in a liminal space between the interests of big business – riddled with corruption and fuelled only by greed – and the island’s desperate cry to regain its dignity.”
Explaining the meaning behind the exhibition title, Comino will be Different Next Summer, the curator shares it is a quote from a 2022 interview with Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo, who had claimed that problems faced then and in previous years will cease to exist, in response to increased pressure from activists. “Two years on, his comments have been revealed to be nothing but an empty promise.”
The works of the three photographers as well as a video piece by Mario Asef shed light on the efforts of civil society to protect Comino, while installations by Sheldon Saliba focus on recent issues affecting the island, such as the hotel redevelopment proposal, the impact of over-tourism and the vast amount of rubbish left behind.
“Ultimately, my hope is that the exhibition will further the conversation surrounding Comino and Malta’s wider environmental landscape,” says Maria.
The exhibition, open from 15th March to 20th April, is organised by Valletta Contemporary in collaboration with Friends of the Earth Malta (FoEMalta) and il-Forn ta’ Kemmuna.
